Lego Minifigures MMO enters beta

Developer Funcom has announced that its Lego MMO is close to
launch, with a public beta about to open its doors to players.

Would-be world builders can sign up for the free-to-play game now,
in advance of the June launch of the public beta. Lego
Minifigures Online ties into the popular blind-bagged
collectibles, and will allow players to travel through numerous
worlds based on classic Lego themes.

LEGO MinifiguresFuncom

The structure of the game seems closer to Traveller's Tales' Lego games --
albeit in an expansive open world environment -- than the likes of
World of Warcraft. In keeping with the eclectic creativity
possibilities of the toys, any character can travel through
any world -- from spacemen on pirate ships to Aztec
warriors in ice mountains. Each world will have its own story and
objectives to complete, and each Minifigure has unique abilities to
experiment with. There's plenty of puzzle solving and construction
to be done, and you can say goodbye to scuffling with other players
over loot dropped after battles -- if you see goodies on your
screen, they're yours, unique to your account. The whole affair
seems more focussed on adventuring and teamwork than the typical
MMO title, which may actually prove refreshing to those worn out on
PVP conflict.

New characters can be unlocked by completing quests in-game.
Alternatively, following the final launch of the game, newly
released physical Minifigures will come with codes, allowing the
character to be activated in the MMO. Subscribers to the Lego Club
magazine will also get to vote on an exclusive Minifigure to be
included in the final game, prior to its September release.

LEGO MinifiguresFuncom

Almost naively, when you sign up for an account on the public
site, the activation email begins "Dear Parent, your child has
requested a Lego ID account called...". We do hope Funcom is
prepared for the countless full-grown Lego fans about to descend on
its game -- given the cross-generational appeal of Lego, the game
is unlikely to remain as entirely child-focussed as the team may be
hoping.

The full game will be released on PC, Android and iOS, though
the beta will only be for PC users.